tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874384585810528859.post5440693447126203973..comments2023-05-18T13:13:31.246+00:00Comments on Witterings of a Weegiewarbler: Either Holyrood or Westminster must go.Weegiewarblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565353275583070868noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874384585810528859.post-50885612504558947012012-10-03T10:52:58.901+00:002012-10-03T10:52:58.901+00:00Hazel when you read into what 'devolution'...Hazel when you read into what 'devolution' means Holyrood has only a slightly bigger say than the Parish council or regional authorities anywhere else in the UK. it is a very clever ploy and to me it all came down to the UK ratifying the European Charter of Local Government which they were one of the last countries to sign in 1997/8. <br />I just hate it that Liebour took all the credit for 'giving' it to Scotland and Wales when they actually had no choice and assured that any 'powers' were going to be minimalistic. <br />Full autonomy is the only way forward!Annickburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714738220272887984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874384585810528859.post-32742074100427674902012-10-03T10:26:56.292+00:002012-10-03T10:26:56.292+00:00If Scotland returns a NO in 2014 ... in the words ...If Scotland returns a NO in 2014 ... in the words of Private Fraser ... "We're Doomed!"<br /><br />Austerity will be dosed out by the ladle-full, budgets will be slashed, Holyrood WILL become no more effective than a Parish Cooncil, and Scots will fulfil the prophecies and truly become a dependent, subsidy junkie nation.<br /><br />The thought terrifies me.Weegiewarblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03565353275583070868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874384585810528859.post-67442574592583741082012-10-02T03:41:20.614+00:002012-10-02T03:41:20.614+00:00Back in 1997, this was the one thing that I agreed...Back in 1997, this was the one thing that I agreed on with the "No" camp: "Devolution is a slippery slope towards Independence". It was also precisely why I voted "Yes"!<br />Devolution, which was supposed to "kill Nationalism stone dead" could only ever go one way. The Labourites of the time, who though they were throwing a sop to appease their opponents, didn't realise the Pandora's Box they were opening.<br /><br />And here's where my concern lies at the moment. We, as the pro-Independence campaign, are supposed to be running a relentlessly positive campaign, with the result that no-one can talk about the elephant in the room; what happens if (heaven forfend) a "No" result is returned. Westminster will move to ensure that it is never challenged again. Holyrood will be scrapped and the Thatcher era will come to seem like some long-lost halcyon days.Richard Cainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998252403705499137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874384585810528859.post-51545215325927278292012-10-01T10:59:42.109+00:002012-10-01T10:59:42.109+00:00Yet again another excellent 'blog' highlig...Yet again another excellent 'blog' highlighting a pause for thought Hazel! The amalgamation of Scotland's police forces will undoubtedly save money particularly in the areas where services are duplicated and indeed any private sector company would apply the same reasoning, this must surely be good news for the taxpayer. I would also suppose that many of the 'redundancies' will be in the form of early retirement and no doubt having been in the constabulary will be an extra incentive for new employers to take them on ...excellent for your C.V.<br /><br />This is of course not the first time we have seen 'amalgamations' of our Police Forces and in 1975 we saw local polices forces become regional police forces with further changes happening in 1995 and again in 2002. <br />It is interesting to note that, according to the BBC, the previous leaders of Labour (Iain Grey) and the Tories (Annabel Goldie) both openly supported the merger when it was announced in Holyrood in September 2011. Willie Rennie and Patrick Harvie didn't comment either way.<br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14804184<br /><br />As to your headline "Either Holyrood or Westminster must go." I wonder how many people have actually asked them-self "exactly what is devolution"? We know that in 1999 there was a great sense of celebration when Scotland re-convened the Scottish Parliament after 292 years. I also think that if you asked every person living in Scotland if it has been successful a very large majority if not all would say Yes it has. However I do wonder how many people really know what the term means in a legislative context, and if the celebrations in 1999 were truly warranted.<br /><br />From Dictionary.com<br />Devolution: 5) the transfer of power or authority from central government to local government.<br /><br />From Wikipedia: <br />Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government. However, the power to make legislation relevant to the area may also be granted.<br />Devolution differs from federalism in that the devolved powers of the subnational authority may be temporary and ultimately reside in central government, thus the state remains, de jure unitary. Legislation creating devolved parliaments or assemblies can be repealed or amended by central government in the same way as any statute.<br /><br />From Wikipedia on Devolution in the United Kingdom: <br />In the United Kingdom, devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.<br />The article goes on to describe the effects in all areas of the United Kingdom including the Crown Dependencies of Isle of Man & Channel Isles.<br />Annickburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714738220272887984noreply@blogger.com